More Fiddlers Four: Colin Blair/Alena Wheeler/Robert Ryan/Alyssa Avery

Colin Blair has been fiddling around St. Louis for many years now. His group The Root Diggers has brought traditional fiddle music to many venues, festivals and Barn dances across the Midwest. His love for the fiddle and the music within is obvious. He specializes in Ozark and Appalachian styles.

Alena Wheeler is a founding member of The Root Diggers who is currently playing with The New Missouri Fox Hunters. She has extensive fiddle and violin knowledge that has taken her all over the country to perform and compete. Alena hails from Baltimore, and has a vast knowledge of east coast styles and repertoire. 

Robert Ryan is a traditional Irish fiddler from London, who grew up immersed in the thriving Irish musical community of that city. Robert was encouraged to learn the tin whistle from a young age, and took up the fiddle at the age of eight, learning from the great Clare fiddler Brendan Mulkere. He has recently moved to St Louis, where he performs and teaches.

Alyssa Avery has been playing violin for two decades, ten years professionally. Ms. Avery graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor’s in Music, with emphasis on Jazz Performance. She has become known as one of the most versatile violinists in the area. She regularly performs  with a klezmer band, jazz ensembles, in pit orchestras, while also touring nationally with her folk trio Mt. Thelonious. She teaches fiddle classes at the Folk School as well as keeps a private lesson studio. She is also one of the founders of the St. Louis String Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to promote creative, multi-genre string instrument playing through education and performance.

For more information, contact Michael Holtz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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